I see quite a few posts on this forum about various waxes and sealants lasting 6-12 months.

I have used most of the products mentioned (Collinite, Duragloss), and I usually 2-4 months of strong protection under fairly favorable weather conditions.

One common statement I see is that there is visible beading...so there must still be protection. However, most clean paint will show some amount of beading even when there is no protection present.

To me, if the paint is well-protected, I would expect to see strong sheeting and beading during the wash process. I should see the water being repelled. The paint should also be easy to wash, and dirt should not be sticking to it.

Here is what the Opti-Coat 2.0 looked like after 10 months of service on my car - this is the standard that I generally look for:

So, this brings me to the question - what do you consider to be a sign of active "protection" on your paint?

By how easy the bugs wash off the front of my wifes white elantra. I have never gone over 6 months with the Klasse products but it seems to hold up 6 months. Not so much by beading but by ease of cleaning bugs , tree sap and bird doody.

I go by a combination of how well the vehicle still beads, how "waxed" it looks and feels after a wash, and how easily the crud was washed off while washing.

Scientific? Not by a longshot.

But I use Klasse AIO followed by a coat or two of Klasse Sealant Glaze here in New England every October, and it lasts until my next application the following October (at least based on the criteria above). Vehicle finishes still look great after 10+ years.

I use the Duragloss 601 bonding agent, and the 105 total performance polish on my car. At 10-12 months it might not be beading as strongly as in your video, but it's obviously still doing a good job of it. I'm very happy with the combo.

I actually haven't done it in over two years, and was just earlier today saying that I should give the car a good wash, clay bar, and sealing this Saturday.

I agree with you. Beading alone certainly isn't a good indicator of 'active protection' as you put it.

Different waxes also provide different results. For example, beading is more pronounced with a carnauba wax. The sheeting effect is more evident with a synthetic wax.

I don't have a sure fire way of determining the current protection level of a wax. But what I go by is how easily a dry microfiber towel with glide across the surface. On a nicely waxed car the towel will glide across the paint with little to no friction. If I feel it dragging a bit I consider that it is getting time to put some more wax on. But does that mean the protection is gone? I doubt it...

I tend to subjectively evaluate how the wax/sealant is performing on the vehicle, holistically.

That is: During a final rinse, after washing, I will note the beading/sheeting on the horizontal and vertical surfaces... if I see a marked difference in performance... I know it's time to reapply. I tend to see rocker panels and lower portions of vertical panel(s) performance deteriorate the earliest when observing LSP performance.

Critic, you know this but i think it is worth repeating- different environments, different weather, different surface prep, and different maintenance will tend to skew the results of how said waxes/sealants.

For example... Opti-Seal lasted almost 12 weeks for me during the heart of Winter... This Spring and Summer it is going on 16+and has shown no sign of slowing down yet. (And I'm not using any 'quick wax' for a booster after washing. My test mule was clayed and polished with DP Coating Prep polish to ensure the surface was perfect for LSP bonding on both occasions.)

I usually just tell by looking at the beading, if it's not even and doesn't bead and sheet like a freshly waxed panel I consider the wax compromised. It won't be completely gone but I know sections of the wax on certain areas like the hood and roof are gone.

And it definitely lasts less in sunny and hot locations than cloudy and rainy locations.

And it definitely lasts less in sunny and hot locations than cloudy and rainy locations.

I think this is an important point. I apply Klasse in October after the sun and heat of summer, and I think that is a key reason it lasts about a year for me. If I applied in the spring only, I think it would be toast by fall, requiring another application. I don't know this for fact, but it seems reasonable to me.

I tend to subjectively evaluate how the wax/sealant is performing on the vehicle, holistically.

That is: During a final rinse, after washing, I will note the beading/sheeting on the horizontal and vertical surfaces... if I see a marked difference in performance... I know it's time to reapply. I tend to see rocker panels and lower portions of vertical panel(s) performance deteriorate the earliest when observing LSP performance.

Critic, you know this but i think it is worth repeating- different environments, different weather, different surface prep, and different maintenance will tend to skew the results of how said waxes/sealants.

For example... Opti-Seal lasted almost 12 weeks for me during the heart of Winter... This Spring and Summer it is going on 16+and has shown no sign of slowing down yet. (And I'm not using any 'quick wax' for a booster after washing. My test mule was clayed and polished with DP Coating Prep polish to ensure the surface was perfect for LSP bonding on both occasions.)

Very true. I usually see deterioriation on the horizontal panels first, but ymmv.

Maintenance is certainly a factor as well. If you wash frequently, the soaps will deterioriate the protection more quickly. It makes me wonder if using products such as ONR will actually help maintain the protection for a longer period of time.

I see quite a few posts on this forum about various waxes and sealants lasting 6-12 months.

I have used most of the products mentioned (Collinite, Duragloss), and I usually 2-4 months of strong protection under fairly favorable weather conditions.

One common statement I see is that there is visible beading...so there must still be protection. However, most clean paint will show some amount of beading even when there is no protection present.

To me, if the paint is well-protected, I would expect to see strong sheeting and beading during the wash process. I should see the water being repelled. The paint should also be easy to wash, and dirt should not be sticking to it.

Here is what the Opti-Coat 2.0 looked like after 10 months of service on my car - this is the standard that I generally look for: